Automatic accelerator control



Feb 23, 1943 w. A. com-CHER AUTOMATIC ACCELERATOR CONTROL Filed Sept. 25, 1941 mf WJW, Laker '1 Patented F eb. 23, 1943 UNlTED `STATES ortica 1 Claim.

This invention relates to 'a control attachment for accelerators or thrcttles which control the ow of fuel to engines, and more particularly to a control attachment for holding an accelerator or throttle in a plurality of depressed positions.

More particularly, it is an aim of the invention to provide a control attachment that will eliminate the necessity of providing more than one throttle for a motor vehicle engine due to the fact that the foot operated throttle can be held, by the control, in any of a plurality of depressed positions. Y

Still a further aim of the invention isto provide an attachment for holding an accelerator pedal depressed to cause an engine, controlled thereby, to operate at a uniform speedand which can be readily released by striking the control with the foot as in moving the foot from the accelerator pedal to the brake pedal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a control of the above described character of very simple construction capable of being economically manufactured and sold, and which can be quickly and easily applied to throttle pedals of conventional construction and which are already 1n use.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a control which can be readily moved to an inoperative position when its use is not required.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the throttle control attachment applied and in an operative position relatively to a conventional accelerator pedal,

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same, and showing the latch member in a folded, inoperative position, and

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken substantially along the plane of the line 3-3 of Figure 1, and showing the spring partly in dotted lines and partly in elevation.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, wherein like reference characters `designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, IB designates generally a portion of the oor board of a motor vehicle, and II designates generally a conventional accelerator pedal which is hingedly connected at its lower end at I2 to the floor Ill. These parts are of conventional construction and are illustrated and ydescribed merely to better illustrate the application of the control attachment for the acceleraor II, and which is designated generally I3.

The control attachment I3 includes a base member I4 which is adapted to be fastened to the floor 'board IE), to one side of the pedal II. The base member le is provided with spaced upwardly extending portions terminating in alined barrel portions I5, the longitudinal aXes of which are substantially parallel `to the longitudinal axis of the pedal II. A latch plate or bar IB is provided with spaced barrel portions I'I, at one end thereof, which are adapted to be arranged in alinement with the barrel portions I5 for receiving a bolt I8 which extends therethrough, and which forms a hinge pin to combine with the barrel portions l5 and I 'I to form a hinge for hingedly connecting the latch bar I5, at its lower end, to the base Iii. The bolt I8 is ipreferably provided with a nut I9 at its shank end for retaining the bolt in engagement with the barrel portions I5 and ll.

The latch bar or plate IE has its longitudinal edges bowed in the same direction, and a-s best seen in Figure 1, the curvature `of the plate I6 substantially corresponds to the arc in which the pedal II swings -on its hinge l2. The plate I6 is provided with a series of transverse slots 2Il which,.as a group, are curved to conform to the curvature of the longitudinal edges of the plate I6. The plate or bar I6 is provided with substantially flat downwardly facing shoulders 2I, as seen in Figure 3, which dei-lne the upper edges of the slots 2), and with downwardly and outwarclly inclined upwardly facing shoulders 22 which define the bottom edges of the `slots 20.

The base Id is provided with an extension 23 which projects beyond the barrel portions I5, toward the throttle pedal II and to which is attached an upwardly projecting eye 24 to which is anchored one end of a lcontractile coil spring 25. An eye 26 projects outwardly from the inner longitudinal edge of the plate I 6, intermediate of its ends, and is engaged by the opposite end of the spring 25. It will thus be obvious that the spring 25, when the plate I6 is in a raised position, as seen in Figures 1 and 3, will urge the plate toward the pedal II.` However, the plate l5 can be swung downwardly and outwardly to the position as seen in Figure 2, and in dotted lines in Figure 3, and in moving to this folded position, the spring 25 will move across its dead center, namely the bolt I8, so as to urge the free end of the plate I `downwardly and against the floor board lll for holding the plate or bar I6 in its folded position, away from the pedal II.

is carried by the threaded end 29, and is adapted to be tightened for engaging the outer side of one of the clamping elements 3l),V vand for' drawing the head of the bolt 28 into engagement with* the outer side of the other clamping element 30 for moving said clamping elements into tight engagement with the side edges of the pedal II for detachably securing the pawl 21 thereto, and

' transversely thereof. VThe threadedend 29 of the pawl 21 extends beyond one longitudinal side edge of the pedal II, and towardthe latch vplate I6, and terminates in a detent portion 33 `'having aisubstantially flat and straight upper v side 34, and a beveled underside 35.

L Assuming that the latch plate I6 is in a raised position, as seen in Figures 1 and 3said latch :plate will beengagedvby the detentportion 33 A'and will be held thereby in substantially a vertical.:position with thetapered end-of the. de-

- tent portion extendinginto one ofi the slots 20.

When the pedal I I isdepressed, the tapered underside 35 of the portion 33 will ride over the 'inclined` upwardly facing shoulders 22 to produce acam action by means of which'thelatch plate I6`will'be forced away fromgthepedal I I and against the action'of the spring 25 to permit the pedal to be depressed. When thefoot is removed from the pedal I I the upper side 34w11 engage a downwardly facing'shoulder 2I to hold 4the pedal II in a depressed position. It-will thus beV readily obviousthat the pedal II can be depressed to any desired position-and held by -thecontrol attachment-|3 so that the foot can be removed from the Vthrottle vpedal kand the 45 Lspeed of the engine-nevertheless -maintained.

The latch plate I8 is preferably disposed between the accelerator pedal II, and the brake pedal, not shown, of the vehicle, and extends substantially above the accelerator pedal so that in moving the foot, used to depress the accelerator pedal, from said pedal to the brake pedal, the foot will strike the upper portion of the latch plate to swing it away from the accelerator pedal `to thereby move the latch plate out of engagement with the detent portion 33 to allow the accelerator to move upwardly to a fully raised and retracted position. In driving in traffic, where it is not desirable to use the control I3, the latch'plate can be swung downwardly and away from'the pedal II, and to the position as seen in Figure 2, and in dotted lines in Figure 3, to render the control attachment I3 inoperative.

.invention has been disclosed.

I clainras my invention:

An accelerator control, comprising a latchbar adapted to be disposed adjacent an accelerator pedal and yieldably positioned relatively thereto, said latch bar being provided with aplurality of notches-,1a detent adapted to be attached to and carried by the accelerator pedal andhaving an end constructed and arranged for engaging said notches for latching the pedal in depressed positions, said detent and notches being constructed and arranged so that the .detent can ride over the notches when the pedal is depressed to retract the latch bar, a base plate having an upstanding-portion to which the latch bar is pivotally connected at its lower end, and a contractile spring connected at one endf to the base plate and connected at its opposite end to the latch bar for normally urging the latch bar to swing toward the accelerator pedal, or for holding the latch bar in a retracted position away from the accelerator pedal.

WILLIAM A. COUTCHER. 

